Top 10 finish for Strakka on return to WEC

Danny Watts at the wheel of the Strakka Racing Dome-103 during last weekend's 6-Hours of Silverstone

Colin and James Beckett

Published:16:32Wednesday 15 April 2015

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Whittlebury’s Strakka Racing returned to the FIA World Endurance Championship at Silverstone last weekend for the first time since the 2013 Le Mans 24-Hours, with Thornborough’s Danny Watts leading the team’s challenge in the 6-Hours of Silverstone.

The race, the opening round of the 2015 FIA WEC, marked the debut of the team’s Strakka Dome-S103 in the series, and running faultlessly throughout the race, Watts and his team-mates, Jonny Kane and Nick Leventis, were able to finish ninth overall.

At the fall of the chequered flag, the Strakka Racing car was placed fourth in the LMP2 section of the race, but was promoted up to third after the Extreme Speed Motorsport HPD was excluded.

The event did not start well for the team though, as Watts spun on the approach to the second corner, placing the Dome in the gravel. Marshals acted quickly and soon got Watts back on-track, although some time was lost against the other leading LMP2 teams. Watts said: “Big thanks to the marshals! With their help I got back on-track and from there, I could set about catching cars ahead and then we could work our way into the top ten.”

With the car having completed over 10,000km of testing during the winter months, the Strakka Dome was able to prove its ability during the race in the hands of Kane and Leventis, with Watts returning to the cockpit to drive it to the chequered flag and the end of the race.

Dam Walmsley, the Strakka Racing team principal, said afterwards: “The car ran superbly and I am proud that Strakka Racing team quickly and efficiently got back into the swing of racing again. We’ve got a good, strong car, and we now have points in the bag and next we will look at how to work with the drivers to improve the balance of car in all conditions.”

The FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) continues at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium on May 2nd.